This is the first time the Dead played St. Stephen live!

Wow!...does not even begin to express the joy and grateful ness I have for having theses cuts available...as BeauZeau said, my 1st Grateful Dead show was the next night but my memory is that they closed with Morning Dew on the 25th but I could be wrong...I do have a clear recollection of Morning Dew ending with a band member grabbing a mic off of the mic stand and crashing it into the six foot tall gong, repeatedly and rotating the mic which still worked, around and around the face of the gong and the most incredible sounds coming out from this along with the guitars...at that point, right then and there, I decided that I needed to leave St. Louis, ASAP and move to the Bay Area to be able to see these guys perform, over and over again, on their home turf...which I did ...so grateful that we are able to listen to these cuts which are sooooooo good!!!! ...and really take me back to those moments in the Armory, Lo those many years ago...many thanks to the Archive

This is the night before my first show (the 25th). I think it likely that this recording is from the 24th as I recall clearly that they opened with Morning Dew then went into Schoolgirl. That followed with material that I was not familiar with (having only heard the first WB album at that point)--that fact that It Hurts Me Too follows Dew suggests that it is not the 25th.

I am stunned that this recording even exists and that it sounds sublime.

If you have ever read the interviews over the years in which Garcia recalled how much the band rehearsed during this time...well this show exemplifies those efforts.

There is a fluid and serene quality to the music. Yet it is focused and direct but also fresh and spontaneous.

All the tracks feature greatness but it is the 14 minute plus Dark Star that will impress you most.

This version moves along at a brisk tempo and flourishes with nuances that excite yet relax you.

It is a complete composition in my view. At about at the 10 minute marks Jerry shifting to a higher key and almost suggests an Eleven transition.

Pig Pen is golden on this as well as he is in his fully glory in both It Hurts me Too and Lovelight.

According to DeadBase they played two shows in St. Louis. Their set list from the 24th could be the 25th.

So if this is the true 24th... well another important missing link is found.